1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fish hook, and more specifically to a releasable fish hook which allows the user to quickly and easily remove it from a fish and minimize injury to the fish.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
An increasing number of people fish purely for recreation and do not keep the fish they catch. Out of a growing sensitivity for wildlike preservation, many of these people also want to avoid injury to the fish. Consequently, the demand for fishing implements with which a user can catch fish and release them without injury has increased. The implement which causes the most injury to a fish is, of course, the fish hook. Typically, a fish hook is a rigid, metal device which has a curved configuration and a sharp, barbed end. The barb locks the hook into the body of the fish and makes it difficult to remove the hook without causing injury to the fish. To release a fish from the hook, a fisherman must also handle the fish, causing additional injury to it.
The prior art includes a number of releasable fish hooks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,174 to Banker discloses a fish hook assembly including a hook end segment pivotally connected to a shank and movable between a release and a hook position. This assembly is complex and includes a number of curved and projecting segments which may cause injury to the fish.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,957 to Randall discloses a displacable fish hook comprising a plurality of pivotally connected segments. A user may lock these segments into a curved, rigid configuration or release them into a relaxed arrangement. This assembly includes a multitide of movable segments disposed in precise order. It is complex and susceptible to malfunction.
The releasable fish hook of the present invention avoids the problems of the prior art fish hooks. It is a simple construction which allows the user to quickly and easily release it from a fish with minimal injury to the fish. It has a small number of parts and allows for easy operation and inexpensive manufacture.